


Defective

by Ally_Kats



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Also I'm taking from the idea that while fusions are a thing, Characters meeting, Gemsonas - Freeform, Gen, Look i started it off as a silly what if these two OC's met, Pre-Pink Diamond reveal, and then it got more complicated, because I made these OC's before Obsidian was revealed, for fun, in season4-5, just less powerful, so now I've got a whole mini story that follows the SU plot, there are also those gems made within homeworld
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 04:23:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20419856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ally_Kats/pseuds/Ally_Kats
Summary: Obsidian's are the mirrors of Home-world. They are inspectors, looking out for defective gems. They are to find defective gems and dispose of them.But they're not without their own faults.





	Defective

**Author's Note:**

> I know not a lot of people are going to read stuff about OC's but hey, this is for fun and I had this around. I've drawn these gems before and have even made a comic off of X8b. I'll put those at the end if you want to see them.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Obsidian X8b wasn’t often called in to deal with these situations. She usually sent lower tier Obsidians to inspect and report. This time, however, she had come in person. 

This Emerald had been acting fishy, using resources from other factions, traveling to odd places in the empire without sufficient reason and attempting to barricade a planet. There were even rumors of her threatening gems under her control to keep quiet about...something. It was suspicious enough to warrant an inspection, however, the report came back with nothing on it. Since then, the rumors only got worse.

So, here she was, landing her small travel pod in the docking bay next to the Emeralds ship. The ship door opened and she was greeted by panicked looking Beryl in limb enhancers. The said Beryl looked frazzled and had several small robots flying around her. Her hair was up in a bun, but it was messy and unruly.

“Ah! My Obsidian! We-we weren't expecting you!” she said, stumbling over her words, “are you visiting the pla-”

“Surprise inspection,” X8b interrupted coolly, stepping down her ships ramp and onto the docking floor, “specifically on emerald S29-7. She is on this ship, correct?”

“Y-yes! She’s getting ready to depart-”

“Good. She’s not allowed to leave until I am done.” X8b started to walk briskly towards the entrance of the other ship, Beryl had to run to keep up. Unfortunate, since she would need to see this Emerald alone.

“This-This is quite _unorthodox_ if I may say, my Obsidian!” the Beryl protested, “Especially today!”

X8b stopped in her stroll, staring at the Beryl, “Beryl F78, correct? Of the Kyanite systems?”

The gem stopped, swallowed, and nodded. “Y-Yes ma’am?”

“You already are in danger of being considered in cahoots with this Emerald in question.” X8b tilted her head, annoyed, “If I find anything off within that ship that should not be there, _you_ will be responsible for allowing her to land in your station and obstructing me. So, I hope for your sake today is quite a good day for an inspection.”

The Beryl quivered; eyes wide with fear. X8b didn’t pay her any mind and continued walking towards the ship. The behavior of this Beryl confirmed that something was fishy here and she needed to be careful.

As X8b walked through the ship’s cargo hold, she stopped and talked to several Citrines. At first, they were afraid of her (everyone was so that wasn’t unusual) but once understanding it wasn't them in trouble, they relaxed.

They talked about how they weren’t quite sure of the orders they were given. Guarding the ship was standard but standing guard on a moon with no kindergarten and barely any colonization was not. With this in mind, X8b thanked the quartz' and headed for the control room.

When the door opened, the Emerald captain didn’t seem to notice. In fact, she seemed rather preoccupied in a call. She had her data pad open in front of her, another gem’s face on the screen. X8b paused, considering interrupting, but decided to listen instead.

“-definitely no sign of it yet. I’ll keep an eye out.” 

“Good.” Emerald replied, “At the first sign of any trouble, tell me immediately. I'll deal with it personally.”

Deal with it personally? Deal with something on the planet perhaps? Why would an Emerald need to go down to a planet? They were controller of fleets, captains of the most efficient ships. They weren’t like quartz soldiers. They needn't do anything personally.

The other gem closed her data pad and stood up from her chair. She was looking at her console and X8b was sure she wasn’t going to get any more information from the emerald. She cleared her throat, announcing her presence.

“Emerald S29-7, correct?” 

The Emerald in question froze at the control panel and turned slowly to see X8b.

“M-Ma’am I- you’re here!” the gem tried a toothy grin, but it faltered quickly, “You didn’t inform me you were coming!”

“That’s the point.” X8b could have sighed, “Your behavior has been... less than legitimate over the past few cycles.”

“Well there-there's a very good reason for that!” Emerald S29-7 promised, swallowing hard. Her eyes kept darting to the control panel, “If you just let me show you-”

“There will be no need for that.” X8b put up a single hand, silencing the gem. She wasn’t giving the Emerald a chance to attack her, “Stay still, please.”

She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, she allowed her sight to dip down below the surface and see the Emerald's aura. This was a very specific skill that few gems had and that Obsidians were coveted for. The Emerald’s aura was green and pulsing into spikes. She was nervous and her nervousness stretched from her, pulling towards a cabinet on the control panel. 

Curious, X8b made to walk to the cabinet. The Emerald made some sort of move to stop her, but X8b pulled out her spear and S29-7 backed away, hands raised. Satisfied, X8b opened the cabinet with her foot.

It was full of physical reports. It was odd enough that these reports were physical, as most information was transferred through digital means, but the Emerald’s reaction was suspicious as well. There were many of these reports, all formatted similarly. X8b raised an eyebrow at S29-7.

“What are these?”

“...Orders?” The Emerald tried with a slight smile.

“Why aren’t they digital? We have Peridots for a reason, S29-7, we have _technology_ for a reason.” 

“...I-I just wanted to keep-keep a physical copy of my orders! Yes, in case someone needed to look over them!” the Emerald’s aura relaxed somewhat as she said it, relief, “Always good to have the original orders!”

X8b raised an eyebrow before looking down at the reports. She lowered her spear. It still didn’t make sense, what did this have to do with going to different planets and docking stations across the galaxy? What was in those so called orders and who were they from?

X8b was about to pick up one of the sheets of reports when the speakers on the control panel started up.

“Captain! We’ve spotted the defect rainbow! She’s at-” the voice of a gem was cut off as S29-7 jumped at the panel and slammed the speech option.

“YES! NOW ISN’T A GOOD TIME!” She yelled into the microphone.

“But, captain, we coul-”

“CALL BACK LATER!” the Emerald demanded and, with the sound of static, the gem on the other side ended the call.

X8b was quick to act. The tip of her spear was at the neck of the Emerald before the other could react. S29-7 startled, but stayed very still, still hunched over the control panel. Her aura quivered, retracting around the gem in her forehead.

“What was that?” X8b asked calmly.

“...”

“Tell me,” her spear dug into the form of the Emerald, “or I’m going to assume the worst.”

The Emerald swallowed, “It was a report on a... defective gem.”

“An off color?”

“Yes, rainbow, she...has been a nuisance.”

“What type of gem is she?”

More silence.

“S29-7, you’re testing my patience.”

“...She’s a defective Obsidian.”

X8b slowly lowered her spear, staring at the Emerald closely now. Her aura showed no sign that she was lying, only vibrating slightly with tension. She was scared, but she was telling the truth.

“A rainbow Obsidian?”

“Yes, she’s been harassing our ship for a while, stealing things, attacking Citrines. I... I've been tracking her. She’s down on the planet now.”

“...and the reports?”

“Well…”

“Well what?” X8b pushed her spear a little further.

“I-I I didn’t want the Diamonds to find out!” 

“That’s insubordination.”

“I’m not the only one keeping this secret,” S29-7 hissed, “She’s annoyed over a dozen Hessonites, Emeralds and several Opals. She even humiliated a Morganite.”

“You’re telling me that you, and all these other gems, can’t take down a single off color?”

S29-7 grumbled, “It’s a lot harder than you think.”

“Is it?”

“I... I could show you.” the Emerald offered, “She’s down on the planet now, we could go down there and capture her?"

X8b considered this. On one hand, it was an off color, not worth the effort. It could even be a trap set by the Emerald (though she doubted it due to the sincerity in the other’s voice). On the other hand, a defective Obsidian? That would be a rarity. Obsidians were a symbol of pure dedication to the Diamonds, a defective one was the opposite of that. It needed to be taken care of.

“...Alright, fine.” X8b agreed, “but if you try anything, I _will_ shatter you.”

S29-7 swallowed, but nodded, “I’ll pilot us down-”

“No.”

She blinked, confused, “What?”

“You are still on suspicious grounds.” X8b replied calmly, “until this is resolved, you will not be allowed to pilot anything.” Staying on this ship, with Citrine’s under the Emerald's control, was not a good idea if the Emerald _was_ planning something.

“But, how are we supposed to get to the planet if I can’t fly us down?”

“Easy.” X8b turned to leave, “We take my ship.”

* * *

The trip down was quiet. The pod was on an automatic descent towards the planet. X8b could tell that the Emerald was nervous, constantly glancing out the windows, muttering on about how slow the pod was. X8b paid her no mind and remained silent the entire journey down.

The gem colony in question was under construction. The flora covering its surface was colored a darkish purple and pale white. This was an oddity since most chlorophyll of flora turned plants green. However, these seemed to use a similar system to fungus to get their nutrients, as well as absorbing light from the orange sun this planet circled around. At least, that’s what the data packet said about this planet.

As they descended, to an area cleared of fauna and flora, the landing center, X8b saw another Beryl rushing to greet them. She must have been informed by the Beryl above, because she had a slightly sour look to her face. There was also several Citrines and Jaspers waiting anxiously at the edges of the landing pad. Those must be S29-7’s contacts on the surface.

The pod finally landed, shutting off to recharge, and the door opened. S29-7 made to get up, but X8b stopped her in her tracks.

“Stay here until I call for you.”

“But you’re-”

“Do I have to remind you that you are under suspicion of treason?” 

The Emerald huffed, looking a little miffed at being told what to do, but remained seated. X8b left the pod, walking towards the Beryl. The gem glanced up at X8b with something like contempt.

“My Obsidian.” She said quietly as X8b reached her, “It is unorthodox for you to come without warning.”

“I have my reasons.” X8b replied coolly, “I’m here on an investigation into a defective Obsidian you would refer to as rainbow.”

“I would much prefer to speak with Emerald S29-7 on this matter.”

“You will speak to me about this issue.” X8b told her simply.

“I would much rather speak to an actual authority, rather than disclose any unauthorized information to an inspector.” The contempt and suspicion was evident in the Beryl’s voice.

X8b narrowed her eyes, “Are you questioning me? I will have you know that is-”

“I understand what it is, but I would much _prefer to speak with Emerald about this_, that is if you haven’t already shattered her.”

This was simply irritating. X8b had enough and looked at the Beryl’s aura to see what in Diamond’s name was her problem.

Only to see the gem of the Beryl light up as she began to pull a weapon out.

X8b was faster at summoning hers. Before the other gem could even attempt a swing, X8b’s spear was in her chest. The Beryl stuttered, frozen for a second in shock, then poofed, her gemstone clattering to the ground. The obsidian sighed and dissipated her spear. What a fool.

X8b picked up the stone and, seeing the terrified faces of the Citrine’s and Jasper’s, bubbled it, taking it back inside her ship.

“What did you do?” S29-7 asked accusingly as she came back in.

“Your gems are loyal to you.” X8b replied quietly, putting the bubbled gem down, “She’ll be sent in to be checked for flaws. For now, the defective Obsidian is our priority.” She turned to the Emerald, “Now, out. Let’s go look for her.

* * *

The Quartz’ on the edge of the platform proved to be a figurative goldmine of information. They told the Emerald where they had last spotted the off color and where they suspected her to be (a densely packed forest near a kindergarten not too far from the landing site). They offered to come with the two gems, but X8b refused. To many gems would scare off the said off color and she didn’t want to be ambushed by Emerald’s forces.

So, it was Emerald S29-7 and X8b who went alone into the forest. For a while they traveled in silence, only stopping to clear the path or duck around a dense spot of flora. It was eerie, as the leaves of the plants stretched into a low canopy, blocking most light.

It was even more eerie when the Emerald disappeared. 

X8b hadn’t realized it until she asked a question about the defective gem aloud, and there was no answer. She glanced around and saw nothing but flora. No cape or gem was in sight.

“S29-7?”

Still no answer. Her voice was muffled by the plants, not creating the echo she was used to. If anything, the sound was too small. It wasn’t right.

She really couldn’t wait until they terraformed this planet.

“Who are you?”

X8b nearly jumped out of her skin as the voice from behind her spoke up. She turned and was greeted to the sight of a gem hanging from a branch behind her. The gem was shorter than X8b but had a similar body type. Her gem was in the center of her chest. It was misshapen from what an Obsidian'a would be. It was too thin to be a standard gem size, not to mention the colors staining its sleek black surface. 

The gem herself also had color everywhere. Splotches of it ran all over her body, changing in shade, tint, and hue. Her hair was a ghastly curly yellow and her eyes were bright and curious, reflecting every color of visible light.

This must be the defect then.

“I’ve never seen a gem like you before!” The off color righted herself on the tree branch and stared at X8b, “Your outfit is so cool!”

X8b was planning on poofing this off color gem, she really was (and she was still going to), but something about the comment made her straighten up and give the gem another once over. This gem was...peculiar, talking so calmly to an enemy. She wasn’t even afraid. Foolish, but intriguing.

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” X8b replied coldly, “Identify yourself.”

“I asked first lady!” the other gem said, grinning.

X8b sighed, but complied, “Obsidian X8b, Top Tier Obsidian, made on homeworld, and you are…?”

“Oh, we’re going by number names? Ok!” The defective Obsidian landed on the forest floor, “411Y! I go by Rainbow Obsidian! Just Rainbow actually.”

“...I see.” X8b replied hesitantly. 411Y... she couldn’t remember if she’d heard of that Obsidian before (was that even a valid ID?), “What are you doing here?”

“Hm? Oh! Yeah!” She crossed her arms, “I was going to go and annoy Emerald, but you’re _much_ cooler!” Rainbow started pacing around X8b, observing her clothing apparatus, “I’ve never seen another Obsidian before. You’re not what I was expecting!”

That... didn’t make sense. Even a defect would be made in a batch of Obsidians before being weeded out. Obsidians were always made by the batch.

“Where were you made?” X8b asked, frowning.

“Oh, homeworld,” Rainbow replied nonchalantly, “Oh hey! What’s your weapon?! Mine’s a pencil, do all Obsidians have something like that or do you guys have actual weapons? Oh, and can you see the glowey stuff around other gems? What _is_ that?”

So many questions! Though they were concerning. An Obsidian who didn’t even know anything about being an Obsidian! Perhaps that was the reason for her...er, defections. At least mentally. Physically, there would need to be some work done. First thing she needed was to figure out the mystery of this gem.

“Hold on,” X8b raised her hands and stopped the flow of questions from... Rainbow (she supposed she could call the gem that), “You said you were made on homeworld? When was this?”

“Oh...eh, probably a few hundred years ago.” Rainbow shrugged, “Why?”

“That doesn’t make sense.” X8b explained, “Era 2 Obsidians are made off planet. Being made as young as you are, you shouldn’t be able to summon any weapons-”

“Era 2?” Rainbow asked, eyebrow raised.

“...Ah.” X8b understood now, “You don’t know anything about gem history, do you?”

“I do!” Rainbow replied sounding offended, “I mean, some things, other off colors can’t tell me much. But! I do know there was a war! And homeworld won?”

“Tch, we did more than win.” X8b nearly rolled her eyes, “But I need context, do you even know who we were fighting?”

Rainbow shook her head, “They all just call them ‘the rebels’. Were they organic?”

“No. Quite the opposite, actually.” X8b paused, considering. The story was a long one, but she supposed she could simplify for this encounter.

“The rebels were gems that turned against homeworld,” X8b started, “Their leader was Rose Quartz, a defective gem who loved the earth more than she loved her own Diamond.”

“Sooo, she’s not a half organic monster?” Rainbow asked.

“No-Is that what you’ve been told?” X8b blinked, surprised.

“I’ve been told a bunch of stuff.” The other gem rolled her eyes, “Some say she was a giant gem fusion who angered the Diamonds, some say she was the manifestation of the entire planet, even some who say her gem was the planet! I don’t know what to believe.”

“Certainly not any of those things.” X8b shook her head, “No, she was just a gem who lead others astray.”

“Did you ever see her?”

“....” X8b paused. It had been so long since she’d thought about it, “Once. It wasn’t...good.”

“Well, what happened?” Rainbow sat down, staring up at her.

“... She…” X8b closed her eyes, remembering, “It was just after I was trained. It was my first inspection. It was supposed to be safe. It was supposed to be easy.

“I was to be helping Pink Diamond’s Top Tier Obsidian.” She paused, seeing the confusion on Rainbow’s face, “They serve the Diamonds personally, gather up information about the quality of gems in each Court. Pink’s Obsidian was the first Obsidian of the Pink court and with the rise of the rebellious gems she was overworked. I was to inspect and assist where I could. I never even got to meet her Obsidian, much less the Diamond. But I do remember seeing her.

“The first and last time I saw Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond, was when the quartz shattered her.”

“She...what?” Rainbow’s eyes were wide and she stared at X8b.

“She shattered Pink Diamond on her own planet and escaped.” X8b sighed, “After this, the rest of the Diamonds had enough. The earth was supposed to be Pink’s anyways. Any gem who didn’t get off the planet was destroyed completely.”

“Oh….” Rainbow went quiet, “I didn’t know that.”

“Then started Era 2, resources started to become scarce, expansion slowed, gems who came out of kindergartens couldn’t match up to the previous generation and more defects started to be made. All because of the rebels.”

“Wait, what?”

“I said-”

“No no no, I heard what you said.” Rainbow shook her head, “But it sounds like the rebels didn’t have anything to do with Era 2 gems.”

“They did, but that’s not the point.” X8b sighed, “What I was getting at is that it’s odd you came out like you did. You can summon a weapon, yes? Most of Era 2 Obsidians can’t and have to use a gem destabilizer. You are…” She paused, looking for the right word, “Unique in that regard. Especially since you were on homeworld. I thought most kindergartens there shut down.”

“Aw! Thank you!” The other Obsidian grinned happily, suddenly beaming.

X8b blinked at her, “What?”

“I said thanks! You’re pretty unique too!”

Oh, did she considered that a compliment? “Thank...You?” X8b frowned, this gem was getting ever the more curious .

“Wait, so, I got a question.” Rainbow spoke up, “Can you do this?” 

X8b didn’t understand what she meant at first, but then Rainbow closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and when she opened her eyes they had a light in the middle. X8b understood, she meant looking at auras. She blinked, allowing her own sight to see the other’s aura.

Rainbow’s aura was...not what she expected.

It was bright, much brighter than an Obsidian’s should be. The aura moved like a liquid, slowly floating around her entire being. The color shifted quickly, first pink, then yellow, then red, then blue. It was hypnotizing, it was fascinating, it was-

Wrong. It was wrong.

On a fundamental level it was wrong. Obsidians weren’t supposed to be like...well, like this! Obsidians were supposed to be blank, mirrors, the most basic of auras to be able to sense other's. An aura like that would simply absorb the auras around it, making them more muddled.

Half of X8b was disgusted, this was so blatantly incorrect! Not the way the Diamonds intended at all. The other half of her was...worried. This couldn’t have been good, especially for an Obsidian that had no direction or training. Then again, it wasn’t exactly 411Y’s fault she had transformed into this. Such a thing was to be... pitied.

“Whoa.” Rainbow blinked, “that’s not...you’re not normal.”

X8b stiffened, “Excuse me?”

“Wait! Clods, didn’t mean to say it like that.” She hit herself in the head with her hand, “I mean, you’re different from anyone I met before-That is to say- Look your glowey-ness isn’t like anything I’ve seen.”

X8b just stared at the other gem. What? What in the world? Was she trying to be nice? If she was, she was failing terribly.

“I... could say the same.” X8b replied slowly, “You’re proving to be more difficult of a puzzle to solve than I originally thought.”

Rainbow shrugged awkwardly, her aura slowly shifting to a nervous blue, “Well, you’d know, I’ve never seen my own.”

“Never?” Yet another concern.

“Never.” Rainbow reaffirmed, “I’ve never been able to. Can you see yours? Am I supposed to see mine?”

X8b sighed, squeezing her eyes shut, “This is bad. You don’t even know what an aura is…” She paused for a moment, considering. 

This was...peculiar. X8b knew she should bubble and return this gem to the harvest center. Something, however, was telling her this gem had potential. After all, she wasn’t like the other defective gems. She wasn’t even like any Era 2 gem. X8b could simply train her. Besides, it would be a good challenge to rehabilitate Ra-411Y. She could be a valuable asset! 

“...How about this,” X8b opened her eyes again, letting the aura vision disappear, “Come back with me to homeworld. I’ll show you everything about being an Obsidian there is to know. You can come back to the empire-”

“What?” Rainbow stood up, looking affronted.

“I said you could come back with me-”

“Oh, uh...yeah, wouldn’t that...cause complications or something?” She raised her hands defensively, “You know, with me being...me?”

“Not necessarily.” X8b shrugged, “If you just change your appearance, you could pass for a normal gem.”

“Normal?”

“Yes, you’d just need to cha-”

“Uh-No, nonono, I’m...I’m good!” Rainbow shook her head, a fake smile on her face, “I uh, I think I get the idea! I’m good, I get it, thanks though.”

X8b paused, tilting her head, “I don’t understand.”

“Well, I’m just...I got all the information I need and I’ve already seen homeworld soooo...” 

“...This is a chance most defects don’t get.” X8b’s eyes narrowed, “You are imperfect, but I see opportunity in you. You could reclaim your purpose under the Diamonds.”

Rainbow glanced away, clearly uncomfortable, “Look, I’m fine the way I am. I don’t need any other-”

“This is a once in a lifetime chance!” Why couldn’t the defective gem see that?! Of all the idiotic gems why couldn’t this one see she was getting the opportunity to be an Obsidian? “You should be grateful! You could be redeemed and work for the most perfect beings in all the universe!”

Rainbow’s face suddenly turned hard, eyes narrowing, “I don’t need the diamonds to exist. I can live without serving tyrants.”

X8b raised her eyebrow, “They made all of us, they deserve our loyalty.”

“They also shatter any gem who doesn’t fit into their regime! I don’t owe them anything!”

“...” X8b sighed in frustration, moving her hand up to the gem on her upper right arm, “Obviously you’ve been indoctrinated by the other defectives. I’ll just have to show you myself.”

Her gem glowed and her spear was in her hand. If 411Y was going to be difficult, X8b would just have to force it on her. Rainbow took a step back, eyes glancing at the weapon before returning to her, but they weren’t full of fear.

She was...amused?

“Ha! Gotta catch me first!” Rainbow grinned, before turning tail and running into the thick flora of the planet. 

X8b launched her spear through the vines and branches after her. There was a dull thud, but the sound of 411Y’s footsteps through the foliage didn’t stop. The Obsidian frowned but ran after her. That should have hit.

She found her spear embedded into a tree with no gem around it. She dismissed it with a wave of her hand before continuing to follow Rainbow. The gem was fast, but X8b kept up with her easily. The obstacles of the planet were difficult to get around, but it seemed they both had an issue getting through it. X8b finally started gain on the gem when-

_BAM!_

X8b felt herself slam against something solid. Jumping back, and summoning her spear for good measure, she found herself face to face with a familiar Emerald. S29-7 looked up, shocked, and then looked around wildly.

“Where did that thieving little pebble-”

“Where have you been?!” X8b snapped, “You disappeared from my sight.”

“I was chasing the defect-”

“Don’t lie to me!”

“I’m not-”

“I was just talking to her and didn’t see you once!”

“What? You have to be mistaken!”

“I’m no-”

“Wow, you two like to argue, huh?”

Both Emerald and Obsidian froze suddenly, before turning to look at the voice. Rainbow, standing in front of them, grinned maliciously before disappearing into the foliage again.

“YOU MISERABLE CLOD! I SWEAR TO THE DIAMONDS I WILL SHATTER YOU!” Emerald bellowed before dashing after her.

“You gotta catch me first!” Rainbow laughed from somewhere up ahead.

X8b followed, sprinting to keep up with the other two. The Emerald could be heard up ahead, shouting obscenities while Rainbow retorted with teasing. It was hard keeping up with them. She had to jump over felled trees and weave in between the undergrowth. The terrain, however, began to change. The dirt went from a lively brown to a dull grey, flora and other organic life grew scarcer, and-

Wait.

X8b skidded to a halt as she glanced back at the leafy yellow plant. She swore she saw something move within. No fauna would be this close to the kindergarten, but what else could it be? 

Slowly, she blinked, allowing herself to dip back into auras. She was expecting at least a gem shard, perhaps a fuzzy outline of some sort, but there was nothing. The bush remained still, completely clear. X8b took a step closer, preparing to look in, when a distant shout interrupted her.

“I’VE GOT HER!”

X8b turned her attention to the Emerald’s triumphant voice. She had more important things to worry about than a moving bush. She returned to running after the Emerald.

The high walls of the kindergarten stretched on either side of her, full of gem holes. She took the first right, hearing the shouting again, only to find herself at a dead end. Pausing, she looked around. Nothing and no one in sight. Yet she had heard the voice from this way, she was sure of it.

“In here!”

This time the Emerald’s voice came from her left. When she looked over, she could see a bit of the Emerald’s cape poking through a gem hole that seemed to go through the entire cliff-side. She ducked through the hole. It was undignified to get her form so dirty like this, but she cared very little about that now. 

X8b stood up to find herself in a small ravine. The walls were too high to climb and were littered with shallow gem holes. She brushed herself off and addressed the Emerald to her right.

“You’ve got her?” X8b asked, looking around for any sign of the defect.

“Over there.” S29-7 pointed to where a recently made rockfall lay, blocking what looked to be a cave, “It’s a dead end! She has nowhere to escape to!”

“Good.” X8b nodded, “Now we have to move the rocks.”

S29-7 nodded and lifted her weapon, which looked like some sort of blaster, “On your mark.”

X8b went and stood next to the rockfall, drawing her spear once more. She gave the OK to the Emerald, who started charging up her weapon. A ball of pure energy pulsed at the end of it, growing bigger and bigger, until it shot out of the blaster and burst apart the rocks.

The Obsidian was pushed by the force of the explosion but recovered quickly. She leapt into the entrance as soon as the dust had settled and-

There was nothing.

Nothing. Not even a gemstone. The cave only went back several paces from the rockfall as well. There was no place to hide.

“Where…” X8b murmured, glancing back the way they came for any sign of the defect.

S29-7 followed her quickly inside, charging up her weapon. When she also saw the emptiness inside, she cussed darkly under her breath, “Of course she would up and disappear now! Uhg! It took me weeks to track her down last time-”

“This happened before?” X8b interrupted.

The other huffed loudly, “Yes, it’s half of why she’s so hard to catch! Anytime she disappears, she’ll reappear on another planet halfway across the galaxy!”

“There’s no warp pad here…” X8b looked around, then glanced up though the kindergarten’s walls to the sky above, “and no way out either.”

“That doesn’t stop her.”

“I noticed.” She sighed, dissipating her weapon, “Very well, it seems she has escaped. There's nothing else to do now but wait until she reappears. In the meantime, S29-7, I believe we were in the middle of an inspection.”

The annoyance on the gem’s face turned to fear again, “b-but surely you must understand-”

“You acted unprofessionally,” X8b cut her off, “abused resources given to you, kept a secret from the Diamonds, all of which could very well get you shattered.”

“I….” she gulped, “I was trying-”

“However,” X8b sighed, “This defect you were trying to capture is cunning and not something I’ve seen before. It seems you _were_ trying to do what was best for the empire. For that, I will refer you to the best Zircon I know and testify at your trial.”

Relief seemed to wash over the Emerald’s face, “Oh, oh thank you illustrious Obsidian!”

“Don’t thank me just yet. I _will_ be reporting this to my Diamond.” X8b replied calmly, slipping her hands behind her again in a more dignified manner, “This information will be made public.”

She stiffened, the fear was back, “Are- Are you sure that’s wise?”

“I’m not going to conspire against the Diamonds just to save your pride.”

“It’s not that,” S29-7 mumbled, “but there are a lot of high-ranking gems that would be...displeased if this came to light. You would make them all your enemies.”

X8b could almost laugh, but that would be unprofessional of _her_, “In my line of work,” she started, turning around and heading back for the landing station, “I can’t afford to care about what other gems think.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Also if you notice any contradictions in what X8b does and what she thinks, don't worry that is intentional. This took me way to long and have a nice day.
> 
> OC references for this fic (may update them later)-  
X8b: https://www.deviantart.com/ally-kats/art/Steven-Universe-Obsidians-758648673  
Rainbow: https://www.deviantart.com/ally-kats/art/SU-Gemsona-Rainbow-Obsidian-753611677  
An Obsidian's Duty: https://www.deviantart.com/ally-kats/gallery/68012248/an-obsidian-s-duty


End file.
